Bricks
by justadoge
Summary: In which Ellie finds a box of very interesting items. Mild language.


**AN: everything here belongs to naughty dog and tom petty. except the writing. that's mine. fuck off.**

**also, this is dedicated to my friend M, who enjoys a good pun about as much as I do, (which is a lot), and to my other friend K, who came up with this scenario. I love you guys. **

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"Here, I've got another one. 'What kind of music do tortillas listen to?'" She looked up from the book in her hands, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. Joel looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, his hands working against the steering wheel absentmindedly.

"I dunno, what," he sighed, preparing for the worst.

"Wrap!" She let out a light bark of laughter, her eyes bright. He groaned, his eyes dragging back to the road in front of them. Ellie stuffed the small book into her pack, still laughing softly.

Joel parked the old pick-up truck on the side of the freeway, the broken concrete fragmented by overgrown foliage and broken down cars. He leaned back into the driver's seat, his eyes closed.

"Let's check these cars for supplies, walk around a stretch." He arched his back, his spine popping from being in the same position for so long while he drove. He let out a satisfied sigh at the sounds before opening the door and climbing out of the truck.

"Rodger dodger," she quipped, slinging her backpack over her shoulder as she clambered out of the cab. The pair split up, Joel heading off to the left, Ellie veering to the right. She stopped at a rusty old Beetle, the tires long since deflated. The windshield was cracked, and one of the doors was missing entirely. Vaguely, she wondered who would steal a car door, but the thought flew out of her mind as she wrenched open the driver's door.

The floorboards were littered with debris; broken glass, faded, crumpled paper, even an old sneaker. She wrinkled her nose; the stale air lingering in the car was moldy and sour. She set her backpack down on the ground next to the car before leaning in across the front seat, popping open the glovebox, and scanning the contents inside. A roll of duct tape and half bottle of clear liquor caught her eye, and she grabbed them both, setting them on the cracked leather seat.

She found nothing else worth taking, and headed to the next car. A book of matches, half full, and a few dirty rags. Stuffing them into her bag, she wandered to the third car, some kind of hotrod. It had a big spoiler on the back, and it looked like it had been fairly expensive.

_Did people really care this much about cars back then? _She shook her head, reaching out to grasp the handle. It didn't budge.

"Find anythin'?" She looked up; Joel had wandered over to her, his backpack slung over one shoulder. Ellie shrugged.

"I found some tape and alcohol and some other crap in those cars." She gestured behind her, her arm flailing comically in their direction. "But this damn door won't open." She kicked the flat tire for good measure.

"Scoot," he muttered, stepping closer to the door. She stepped back, her eyes on him. He jiggled the handle like she had, and she scowled.

"Did ya think I was jokin'?" She asked him pointedly. He huffed, letting go of the handle, and walked around to the other side. He tried the handle, and growled when it resisted.

"Just leave it." He shrugged, turned, and walked to another car a few yards away. She watched him go, the scowl deepening on her face. _Fuck that, there's probably some good shit in there._

She stepped back, glancing around, and smirked upon spotting the brick some feet away. _Too easy. _She checked over her shoulder, seeing Joel walking away from her towards an RV, and turned back to the black roadster.

The brick bounced off the window with a loud _clunk_, and she cringed, hoping Joel hadn't heard. She looked over her shoulder again, but he had stepped inside the camper. Ellie raised her arm, preparing to try again, and hesitated. She stepped back and squinted at the window before chucking the brick as hard as she could. The satisfying sound of shattering glass met her ears, and she smiled as she walked to the now open window.

"Ellie!?" _Crap. _

He appeared next to her a second later, his breathing slightly labored after his sprint to get back to her.

"Joel?" He grimaced at her, gesturing with his shoulder at the gaping window. She shrugged. "I wanted to see what was in there."

"What if you just woke up every damn Clicker on this highway?" His voice dropped to a raspy whisper as he glanced behind them. She paused, her expression guilty.

"Uhh..."

He sighed, running a hand over his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just... check the damn car. Quickly." He turned and walked back to their pick-up, opened the door, and set his backpack on the seat, rifling through it.

"You got it." she murmured, reaching around the jagged glass and opening the door from the inside. It swung open smoothly, and she stepped around it, ducking her head into the dark cab. "Aw yeah, jackpot." A first aid kit was wedged under the passenger's seat, fully stocked with bandages and antiseptic. A few cans of beans and corned beef hash were also crammed under the padded seat, and she grabbed those and set them next to the red kit.

A quick scan of the back seat revealed nothing except a cardboard shoebox. She grabbed it and rattled it softly, hearing it's contents shift around. Before she could open it, however, she heard the approach of something from outside the car. Glancing up, she saw Joel had driven up next to her, the passenger window rolled down.

"C'mon, kiddo." Ellie hastily grabbed her spoils and hopped into the truck, setting her findings on her lap. She held up the first aid kit and he took it, interested. She tossed the cans into the backseat, and turned to the shoebox.

He began driving again, maneuvering the truck around the parked cars carefully. She lifted the lid and peered inside, letting out a delighted squeal a second later. The car jerked to a stop and Joel looked at her wildly.

"What is it?" She caught his eye, smiling.

"Look!" She angled the box so he could see inside; a dozen cassette tapes were nestled inside, their spines facing up, displaying their contents. He smiled, the panic leaving his face.

"Well, I'll be damned."

"Tom Petty, Queen, The Beatles..." Ellie read the words scrawled along the sides of the tapes, her voice trailing off. "I've never heard of any of these guys."

Joel sighed, turning to look at her as he drove. The truck coasted to a stop, idling softly as he watched her. She squirmed under his gaze.

"Joel, what the hell?" He smiled at her, though it didn't reach his eyes. She wondered what the fuck his problem was.

"I reckon you'd like all of those fellas." He reached a hand into the open shoebox, his fingers knocking a few tapes over in their search. He pulled one out, read the label, and hummed appreciatively. "This'll do."

He clicked the eject button on the tape player, and the oldies cassette popped out slowly. He swapped it out and set it back in the box, waiting for the new tape to register.

The opening licks filtered out of the speakers, cracking and popping a little as the aged tape worked. Joel turned back to the road, his attention focused on the music that was now playing. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched for Ellie's reaction.

_Well I won't back down, no I won't back down.  
You could stand me up at the gates of hell,  
But I won't back down..._

The lyrics hit home for Joel – more then they ever had before. Before the outbreak, Tom Petty had been among his most listened to artists. Now, he appreciated the guy even more.

"And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down..." he said softly, his voice gruff. He looked at Ellie out of the corner of his eye again. She hadn't said anything yet, but she had a soft smile as she took in the lyrics of the song.

The song ended and she hit the pause button, turning to look at Joel. "That was..."

"Yeah," he said, nodding. She smirked and pushed the rewind button, and the song flared to life once more. He chuckled. "Thought you'd like him. He's one of my favorites."

"Really?"

"Mhm. Good find, kiddo."

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**AN: so I have this headcanon where joel likes tom petty and johnny cash a lot. this song totally reminds me of these two, so I figured it was fitting. **

**this is just a little vignette, I plan on writing more as I get ideas. feel free to suggest some!**


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